Petra Kvitova, the world No. 6 and a former Wimbledon champion, saw off 20th-ranked Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-3, 7-5 in an hour and a half to hand the Czech Republic an unassailable 3-0 lead in their Fed Cup semi-final in Ostrava on Sunday and a berth in the final against Germany.
Klara Koukalova and Andrea Hlavackova then earned the fourth point for the hosts after beating Camila Giorgi and Karin Knapp 6-2, 5-7, 11-9 in the dead doubles rubber.
“I’m happy we’ve made it, and it will be a pleasure for the whole country to host the final again,” said Kvitova, praising her fellow players as “a superb team.”
In the World Group playoffs, where the winners will play in the elite section next year, Russia, playing without Maria Sharapova, beat Argentina 4-0 in Winter Olympics host city Sochi.
In Barcelona, world No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska collected three points over the weekend as Poland edged Spain 3-2.
Radwanska won both her singles and then teamed up with Alicia Rosolska to beat Anabel Medina-Garrigues and Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-4, 6-2 in the deciding doubles.
Canada are headed to the elite World Group for the first time after a 3-1 victory over Slovakia in Quebec.
The hosts took a 2-0 lead with two singles victories on Saturday and Eugenie Bouchard earned the winning third point with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 win over Jana Cepelova in Sunday’s first match. Slovakia won the meaningless doubles rubber.
In St Louis, Missouri, France edged 17-time champions the US 3-2, with Caroline Garcia and Virginie Razzano teaming up to claim the decisive point in the final rubber with a 6-2, 7-5 doubles win over Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys.
On Saturday, they split their singles matches, Stephens easing past Razzano 6-2, 6-4, before Garcia defeated Keys 6-4, 6-3 to knot the tie at 2-2 and set the stage for the decisive doubles.
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
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